Shloka 17
Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
गधी! तुझे कैसे मालूम हुआ कि मैं चाण्डाल हूँ? किस कर्मसे मेरा ब्राह्मणत्व नष्ट हुआ है? तू बड़ी समझदार है; अतः ये सारी बातें मुझे ठीक-ठीक बता” ।। गर्दभ्युवाच ब्राह्मण्यां वृषलेन त्वं मत्तायां नापितेन ह । जातस्त्वमसि चाण्डालो ब्राह्मणयं तेन तेडनशत्,गदही बोली--मतंग! तू यौवनके मदसे मतवाली हुई एक ब्राह्मणीके पेटसे शूद्रजातीय नाईद्वारा पैदा किया गया, इसीलिये तू चाण्डाल है और तेरी माताके इसी व्यभिचार कर्मसे तेरा ब्राह्मणत्व नष्ट हो गया है
bhīṣma uvāca | gadhī! tvaṃ kathaṃ jānāsi yathāhaṃ cāṇḍālaḥ? kena karmaṇā mama brāhmaṇatvaṃ naṣṭam? tvaṃ mahābuddhiḥ; ata etat sarvaṃ mama yathāvat kathaya || gardabhy uvāca | brāhmaṇyāṃ vṛṣaleṇa tvaṃ mattāyāṃ nāpitena ha | jātas tvam asi cāṇḍālo brāhmaṇyaṃ tena te 'naśat ||
Bhishma said, “Gadhi! How did you come to know that I am a Caṇḍāla? By what deed has my Brahmin status been destroyed? You are discerning—therefore tell me all of this exactly as it is.” The she-donkey replied, “Matanga, you were born from a Brahmin woman who, intoxicated by youthful passion, conceived by a Śūdra barber. Therefore you are a Caṇḍāla, and it is through your mother’s act of transgression that your Brahminhood has been ruined.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames social identity and religious status as tied to conduct (karma) and sexual propriety as understood in classical dharma discourse, warning that transgressive acts are believed to bring lasting social and ethical consequences.
Bhishma questions the she-donkey about how she knows he is considered a Caṇḍāla and what deed caused the loss of Brahmin status; she answers by alleging an illicit conception—birth from a Brahmin woman by a Śūdra barber—presented as the reason for his classification.